this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers

LUMIAC by andrea mancuso is a kinetic structure with moving aluminum arms and glowing glass spheres.

thomai tsimpou May 22, 2026 3 min

andrea mancuso’s chandelier draws from early computers

Andrea Mancuso’s LUMIAC is a kinetic chandelier that behaves like an active presence, generating continuous movement, reflection, and illumination. Installed within Nilufar’s historic venue on Via della Spiga during Milan Design Week 2026, the chandelier moves its robotic claws as if it’s alive.

Designed as a kinetic ceiling lamp, LUMIAC explores the relationship between organic gesture and artificial thought. Its name, an acronym for Light Unit Mechanized Intelligence Apparatus Computer, deliberately references MANIAC, one of the earliest autonomous computers developed during the 1950s. Through this connection, Mancuso positions the project within the origins of computational thinking.

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 1 — all images by Filippo Pincolini, unless stated otherwise

lumiac is imagined as a mechanical organism

A cast aluminum structure extends outward through articulated arms that resemble bones branching from a spine, giving the object an almost anatomical appearance. At the end of each arm, blown glass spheres emit a soft glow, while motors embedded within the central core animate the structure through synchronized movement. A remote-control system coordinates dimming and motion simultaneously, allowing the light to behave as part of the choreography.

Instead of remaining static overhead, LUMIAC shifts, reacts, and transforms spatial perception through movement, turning illumination into behavior and technology into something unexpectedly expressive. For the designer and his research-based studio, the project reflects a broader design philosophy centered on the dialogue between past and future. ‘Design, for me, is a journey that bridges imagination and reality, where each project becomes a dialogue between the material and the immaterial, the historical and the contemporary,’ Andrea Mancuso shares.

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 2 — LUMIAC transforms the chandelier into a kinetic organism

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 3 — inspired by early computational systems

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 4 — installed at Nilufar during Milan Design Week 2026 | image by Alejandro Ramirrez Orozco

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 5 — the chandelier moves through synchronized light and motion | image by Alejandro Ramirrez Orozco

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 6 — articulated aluminum arms extend outward like mechanical limbs

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 7 — animating the structure through choreographed movement

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 8 — the chandelier’s anatomical structure recalls bones branching outward from a spine

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 9 — a remote-control device synchronizes the chandelier’s movement and dimming system

this chandelier behaves like a living machine inspired by 1950s computers - 10 — a kinetic chandelier designed as a living machine | image by Alejandro Ramirrez Orozco

project info:

name: LUMIAC Collection

designer: Andrea Mancuso | @andreamancuso_studio